Why Institutions Should Provide for Human Collaboration and Innovation

Leading up to my recent visit to the Technology Innovation Center at Johns Hopkins, I was palpably excited. There, five teams would present their newly created business startups and software solutions to a seasoned group of industry insiders and leaders for feedback. My excitement, as it turned out, was entirely warranted. It was all about innovation, which to me is the essence of progress.

This all took place through the Health Experiential Clinical IT Entrepreneurial (HEXCITE) program, which builds teams of design, clinical, technical, and business leads, and sees them through pilot and startup phases.

Hearing the raw creative spark of the teams’ innovations to improve human health was inspiring. The feedback and comments from the experts who were there to advise them, equally so.

The morning was a powerful reminder of our values of collaboration and discovery. All of our colleagues come to work each day at Johns Hopkins Medicine under a single purpose: to improve the health of the world through innovations that touch biomedical research, medical education and patient care. We do this through the expression of our individual talents, but when our contributions and gifts work in concert, we create something much greater for the benefit of others. This effect was on full display during the day’s presentations.

One group, for example, showcased their mobile app to assist providers in best practices for antibiotic treatment — when and when not to use them — an innovation that could improve the care and lives of millions while also saving millions of dollars.

Another team presented their dashboard summarizing patients’ health statuses and histories, succinctly highlighting for providers such critical information as heart and respiration rates, temperature, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. This kind of quick-hit portrait of a patient’s health could lead to more accurate and earlier diagnoses and support our clinicians .

The other presentations were every bit as exhilarating. Please feel free to read about them and learn more about the HEXCITE program here. I hope that you’ll find them as inspiring as I do.

About Dalal Haldeman

The former senior vice president for marketing and communications for Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the first person to hold that role, Dalal Haldeman cultivates a meaningful leadership style through respect, innovation and teamwork. Her personal and professional lives have always been defined by a deep connection with people and an understanding and appreciation of science. Guided by her core values, Haldeman employs evidence-based best practices to create greater compassion at work, better quality in the delivery of health care, and increased engagement and efficiency among the people delivering that care.